The Native Shore

An immersive cinematic journey into the Chesapeake Bay before America existed, and the struggle of Native nations to protect their lands, sustain their lifeways, and preserve their identity from 1607 to today.

Produced in close collaboration with Virginia's indigenous communities, THE NATIVE SHORE weaves together the voices of contemporary tribal leaders, archaeologists and historians with original Native artwork and the region’s extraordinary natural landscape to reexamine the American origin story. Despite centuries of colonization, the people who had already inhabited this region for thousands of years before Jamestown endure, and the film explores their ongoing efforts to reclaim ancestral lands, restore traditional ways, and strengthen their connection to the Chesapeake today.